Liquid cargo barge

ABSTRACT

A double skin liquid cargo barge having a liquid cargo compartment which is semi-self-supporting, with the sides of the compartment bearing the load. The top of the compartment is supported by &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;skin tension&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and the bottom by a combination of &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;skin tension,&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; center line longitudinal supports and transverse saddles which provide predetermined support to the compartment.

United States Patent Platzer 1 June 27 1972 54] LIQUID CARGO BARGE. 7 3,033,150 5/1962 PickrelL; ..114/73 [72] Inventor: Emile w. Planer P10. Box 9788 1,284,689 11/1918 Jack Baytown 77015 Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix [22] Filed: June 8, 1970 AttameyCushman, Darby & Cushman [21] Appl. No.: 44,524 [57] ABSTRACT A double skin liquid cargo barge having a liquid cargo com- [gil] :J.S.(I. panmem which is sembselflsupponing, with besides of the l l i 65 27 73 compartment bearing the load. The top of the compartment is [5 1 le 0 an I supported by skin tension" and the bottom by a combination of skin tension," center line longitudinal supports and trans- [56] I References Cited verse saddles which provide predetermined support to the UNITED STATES PATENTS wmpanmem- 754,107 3/1904 Wolvin ..114/73 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures [NIH I INVENTOR 54/45 W P142258 ATTORNEY3 LIQUID CARGO BARGE This invention relates to a cargo barge and more particularly to a double skin liquid cargo barge having superior structural strength due to its construction in having a self-supporting watertight liquid storage compartment. The sides of the liquid storage compartment are load-bearing thus providing the support for the compartment. The sides of the compartment are in turn supported by superstructure basically comprising a plurality of transverse saddles and at least one center line bottom vertical girder which can be secured to the liquid cargo compartment to a predetermined extent.

The construction of the bow section of the barge in the present invention is not claimed to be novel, as this construction is standard in the ship building industry.

The present invention has for its principal objectives the construction of an improved liquid cargo barge having a novel storage compartment construction in that the storage compartments sides provide all or most of the support for the storage compartment, depending upon the desired construction.

The improved construction of the barge results in lower overall construction costs in the initial construction of the barge, and provides superior structural strength in the barge. The single storage compartment enables maximum storage facilities to exist without the obstructions and encumberances of present cargo storage so that no cargo loss is encountered because of structural members taking up cargo space. The cargo tank can also be arranged with a series of longitudinal center line bulkheads or transverse bulkheads.

The unique construction of the barge is also beneficial in that older cargo barges can be easily converted into the present invention economically without having to resort to an entire new construction.

The construction of the barge also results in lower overall maintenance costs of the barge, as compared with standard maintenance costs of present day barges. An additional benefit of the present invention is that it is easier to clean thus resulting in lower cleaning costs.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of the structure in accordance with the invention and from the accompanying drawings which form a part of the embodiment ofthe invention. In the drawings:

FIG. I is a side elevation view of the barge illustrating the general construction of the barge with breaklines so that the entire constructionof the barge may be seen; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along lines 2- 2 ofFlG. 1. 7

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is used with a barge, the invention could easily be adopted for use in trains, submergible type vessels, air craft or any other mode of water transportation.

While the novel construction generally refers to a liquid cargo barge and liquid storage compartments this is not meant to exclude non-liquid cargo barges and non-liquid storage compartments as non-liquid cargo barges can utilize the same construction. The use of the term liquid should not be exclusionary and should be held to encompass non-liquid usage.

The novel structure disclosed is preferably formed of metal, such as steel or iron, which possess strength in a thin section to resist ordinary stresses. This type of structure is further characterized by a lightness in weight without loss of strength and can be fastened in a strong and permanent union. However, it is recognized that plastics or alloy metals other than steel or iron may be used to good advantage and may be used in whole or in part in the novel structure. The use of these materials is not to be interpreted as excluding the use of cement or cement type materials in part or in whole, either preformed or formed in place.

At suitable intervals in the barge's hull supports are constructed to form saddles to the bottom and side of the liquid storage compartment and plates for the hull. The supports are constructed so that inner substantially upright supports 22 form a framework support for the sides and bottom of the liquid storage compartment. In forming the components of the framework an inner substantially upright support construction of plate and stiffeners forms a saddle and hull web frame. ln the framework an upright support 22 is braced to an outer upright or substantially upright support 17 by an intermediate cross brace 24 or a plurality of intermediate cross braces and a plurality of angled cross braces 26 and 27. A transverse brace 28 further supports one inner substantially upright support 22. The transverse brace 28 is secured to support 22 by suitable means and extends through inner floor 9 and is welded or suitably secured to inner floor 9. The plurality of cross braces can be welded or riveted to each of the respective supports 22 and 17. A top gusset plate 14 further connects and supports the inner substantially upright support 22 and the outer upright support 17. A plurality of components form the framework of the barge.

As shown by FIG. 2 the liquid cargo compartment 2 is provided with side walls, a bottom wall 6 and a top wall 8. The storage compartment has a generally rounded cross section and runs longitudinally with the hull. The compartment may be fabricated from steel, stainless steel, alloyed steels, aluminum, alloyed aluminum, other metals, plastic or cement materials. The compartment is so constructed that it is leakproof. The storage compartment can be sectioned off into separate compartments if it is desired. The bottom wall 6 may rest upon the saddles built in the hull. The bottom wall 6 of the compartment can be supported to a predetermined extent by the l-beams 7. Resting on the top of the l-beams are cushioning supports 29 which can be constructed of wood or any suitable material. The angle of the inner substantially upright support 22 along with the height of the I-beams and size and composition of the cushioning supports will determine the degree of support afi'orded to the storage compartment. Another factor which enters into the support considerations is what cargo the barge will carry. If desired the I-beams 7 can come directly in contact with the bottom wall 6 of the liquid cargo compartment and bear the load of the compartment. The side walls are tied into the vertical portion of the saddle which provide support for the tank. The side walls 4 rest upon inner substantially upright supports 22 which provide the foundation for support of the storage compartment. The side wall 4 of the storage compartment can be attached to the inner substantially upright supports 22 by welding or riveting if it is so desired. The inner substantially upright supports 22 are projected through inner floor 9 and are secured to inner floor 9 of the barge hull. The floor 9 is preferably constructed of a plurality of steel or metal plates and is continuous and runs across the barge hull. The plates can be welded together or can be secured in any manner which is structurally sound such as riveting.

Bottom plates 18 are fastened together and secured to the upright supports 17 to form the bottom of the hull of the barge. The outer upright support 17 projects through inner floor 9 at the outer edge of the inner floor and are secured to the inner floor. Supports 17 extend down to corner bracing 11 which contacts inner floor 9 and the bottom plates 18. The outer upright supports 17 serve as means to which outer side plates 12 can be attached as by welding or riveting. As is shown in FIG. I, a plurality of hatch members 19 extend through and from the top wall 8 of the liquid storage compartment. These hatch members can use any of the standard industry closing hatch top means or may be sealed by any suitable closure means. A

As shown in FIG. 1, a standard bow section I, as used widely in the industry, is utilized. However, the stern construction 7 differs from the standard stern construction in that a new framework and construction for the stern is utilized. In the construction of the stern section 3, an intermediate cross brace 30 extends from an inner vertical stern support 32 to an outer vertical stern support 34.

Angular cross braces 36 and 38 further brace and support the vertical stern supports 32 and 34. A deck support frame 40 is secured to the vertical stern supports 32 and 34 by top stern gusset plates 42. Stern bottom plates 44 are connected to the inner vertical stern supports 32 and stem bottom gusset plate 46.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with various embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cargo barge comprising in combination:

a hull, said hull comprising a bow section, a storage compartment section, and a stern section; said storage compartment section being provided with a double floor, side walls and a structural framework resting upon said floor and supporting said side walls, said structural framework having a plurality of substantially upright supports, said substantially upright supports being supported by a plurality of cross braces, an elongated storage compartment disposed longitudinally within said hull storage compartment section's structural framework, said elongated storage compartment being formed with side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, said elongated storage compartment's side walls contacting said structural frameworks substantially upright supports, said storage compartment's side walls being load-bearing and supporting said elongated storage compartment, said top wall having a semicircular cross section so as to be self-supported by skin tension and said bottom wall having a semicircular cross section so as to be at least partially self-supported by skin tension and partially supported by a plurality of lbeams longitudinally disposed along the floor of said storage compartment section.

2. The cargo barge as claimed in claim I wherein said storage compartment section framework comprises a plurality of substantially upright supports and a plurality of upright supports, said substantially upright supports and upright supports being supported by a plurality of cross braces.

3. The cargo barge as claimed in claim 2 wherein said plurality of cross braces are intermediate cross braces and angle cross braces.

4. The double skin cargo barge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hulls stern section comprises a plurality of vertical stern supports, a plurality of cross braces supporting said vertical stern supports, means for securing said vertical stern supports and said cross braces, and a plurality of plates covering the bottom and sides of said stern section.

5. The cargo barge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cargo barge is a liquid cargo barge.

6. A liquidtight tank for a cargo barge, said barge including side walls and a double floor, a plurality of saddle type support members arranged periodically along the longitudinal length of the barge, said support members including vertical members for supporting the side walls of said barge and angled members secured to said vertical members by cross braces for bracing said vertical members and a plurality of l-beams resting upon the inner part of said floor and disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said barge, said tank comprising load bearing side walls adapted to contact said angled members for transferring a portion of the loaded weight of said tank thereto, a top wall of circular cross section adapted to be selfsupported by skin tension and a bottom wall of semicircular cross section adapted to be partially supported by skin tension and also adapted to rest upon said l-beams for transferring the remainder of the loaded weight of said tank thereto. 

1. A cargo barge comprising in combination: a hull, said hull comprising a bow section, a storage compartment section, and a stern section; said storage compartment section being provided with a double floor, side walls and a structural framework resting upon said floor and supporting said side walls, said structural framework having a plurality of substantially upright supports, said substantially upright supports being supported by a plurality of cross braces, an elongated storage compartment disposed longitudinally within said hull storage compartment section''s structural framework, said elongated storage compartment being formed with side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, said elongated storage compartment''s side walls contacting said structural framework''s substantially upright supports, said storage compartment''s side walls being load-bearing and supporting said elongated storage compartment, said top wall having a semicircular cross section so as to be self-supported by skin tension and said bottom wall having a semicircular cross section so as to be at least partially self-supported by skin tension and partially supported by a plurality of I-beams longitudinally disposed along the floor of said storage compartment section.
 2. The cargo barge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said storage compartment section framework comprises a plurality of substantially upright supports and a plurality of upright supports, said substantially upright supports and upright supports being supported by a plurality of cross braces.
 3. The cargo barge as claimed in claim 2 wherein said plurality of cross braces are intermediate cross braces and angle cross braces.
 4. The double skin cargo barge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hull''s stern section comprises a plurality of vertical stern supports, a plurality of cross braces supporting said vertical stern supports, means for securing said vertical stern supports and said cross braces, and a plurality of plates covering the bottom and sides of said stern section.
 5. The cargo barge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cargo barge is a liquid cargo barge.
 6. A liquidtight tank for a cargo barge, said barge including side walls and a double floor, a plurality of saddle type support members arranged periodically along the longitudinal length of the barge, said support members including vertical members for supporting the side walls of said barge and angled members secured to said vertical members by cross braces for bracing said vertical members and a plurality of I-beams resting upon the inner part of said floor and disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said barge, said tank comprising load bearing side walls adapted to contact said angled members for transferring a portion of the loaded weight of said tank thereto, a top wall of circular cross section adapted to be self-supported by skin tension and a bottom wall of semicircular cross section adapted to be partially supported by skin tension and also adapted to rest upon said I-beams for transferring the remainder of the loaded weight of said tank thereto. 